Always nice to start off with some fruits!
Second flush of red raspberries.
mmmmm tasty.
Now to the scene of the crime.
Respectful Animal Harvesting, Traditional Pit Roast & Primitive Fire-making
Two day workshop with Gabriel Kelly, Saturday & Sunday, August 25 & 26 in Deer Harbor. Topics include Animal Harvesting: our culture’s relationship with life and death; Tactics on field dressing and basic skinning and uses of skin; Gutting the animal and exploring anatomy and organs; Different meat cuts, styles and uses; Curing, storage and cooking; Different uses of all parts of the animal’s body; Traditional underground roasting Primitive fire-making: Cost: Full 2-days, Suggested Donation: $150. Daily:Animal Harvesting: Saturday, Aug. 25, Suggested Donation: $100 Fire-making & Pit Roast: Sunday, Aug. 26, Suggested Donation: $65 including fire kit.
I didn't attend the workshops but there were rave reviews about the animal harvesting workshop. I heard that the sheep died very peacefully and Gabriel facilitated the process with humility and ease. Gabriel is quite the human and has extraordinary stories. He does primitive-skills workshops here and there, so check him out.
There is just too much tempting things going on at the Bullocks Permaculture Homestead, around Orcas, and on the various surrounding islands. So, I missed the workshops but I did attend the pit roast.
By the way, the evolution of my food identity.
Omnivore -> vegetarian/pescatarian -> localvore -> flexitarian
Something like that.
Anyways, off to the pit roast!
a foot
from the day before
The pit
The uncovering
Nothing like being an adult chillin' in the background while watching kids labor
Kids, ain't no free meals in this world
It makes me excited to see young ones learning these primitive skills.
We need less school and more living! - says the grad student
Pit roasting is quite an art with lots of different variables:
meat size, type of stone, size of fire, the plants used to cover the food, time, etc.
Gabriel seemed quite pleased with this experiment.
After removing the coals and dirt,
a layer of abundant and invasive local reed canary grass peaks out.
In the tropics banana leafs are commonly used.
The food is wrapped in a wet sheet in order to keep the dirt out and moisture in.
With banana leaves this would not be needed.
A large basket made of chicken wire makes it easy to pull the main event out.
Boom!
Large old cabbage leafs surround the tender meat and vegetables that have been cooking for several hours.
Beautiful.
It's quite empowering to learn how to do things without fossil fuels.
Good food and good fun without centralized energy.
To be primitive or civilized.
We were posed a question about whether we needed silverwear and plates...
...and we went for it.
The sensual experience of eating the food with your fingers is really magical.
I've recently realize how unnatural it is for me to be intimate with my food,
yet I enjoy it so much.
A beautiful assortment of earth roasted nutrients.
Creamy garlic and leek, delightfully sweet beet, carrot and parsinip accompanying
juicy and tender sheep, rabbit, and venison,
on a cabbage leaf plate.
I think this is 100% from the island.
Life on Orcas
The man with the beard is Walter who is an amazing wood carver.
He teaches free woodcarving workshops to anybody interested.
A very special being.
The night concluded with a fire, some guitar,
and then a family string-band jam.
food, art, music, permaculture
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